Given time, William Gay might think of a few offenses he'd rather face in his first NFL start at cornerback Sunday. The Detroit Lions, for one. The Oakland Raiders, for sure. The way things have gone lately, perhaps the Steelers' offense.

Instead, Gay draws the San Diego Chargers, the sixth-best passing offense in the league, run by Philip Rivers, the second-highest-rated passer in the league.

At least Gay has played in the secondary the past two seasons, some of it as the nickel back. Fernando Bryant, signed Tuesday, likely will play in the nickel Sunday and against the Chargers with just three practices with the Steelers to get ready.

"I don't know what they're doing defensively," safety Ryan Clark said of the 4-5 Chargers, "but offensively they're impressive. They're a very, very talented team. They're moving the ball and scoring points."

Because Deshea Townsend and Bryant McFadden, two of the team's top three cornerbacks, are out with injuries, the Steelers not only must dig deep into their cornerback reserve but also into the NFL's, where they found Fernando Bryant. He's 31 and has been out of work since the New England Patriots cut him in training camp.

"We can't really sit out there and baby-sit or coddle the new guys," Clark said, "or say we're going to make you play different from Deshea or different from Bryant. You have to do the same things."

Fernando Bryant is a smart, veteran player who should have no trouble picking up the defense. The reason he's out of work is he has trouble picking up the ball on passes. He has good speed, instincts, intelligence and he can cover, but he loses track of the ball. That is why he never fulfilled his promise as a first-round draft pick of Jacksonville in 1999, and why he has only seven interceptions in 110 career starts with Jacksonville and Detroit.

"It can be tough, but I'll say this organization is trying to make it simple just for the things they're asking me to do," Bryant said of joining a team at midseason. "The players have really stepped up and tried to help me learn the system quickly."

Those players won't be able to help them cover some of San Diego's giant receivers. Bryant and Gay are listed as 5 feet 10. Two of San Diego's top four wide receivers are 6-5, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd. And tight end Antonio Gates, who leads them with 38 receptions, is 6-4.

"That's one thing about this league, sometimes having a backup job is the best job in the world until you have to play," Clark said. "That's where we are right now and I think guys are going to step up and do their jobs."

The pass defense has been a wonder to behold this season, at least until Peyton Manning picked on it a little. Before a Manning pass clanged off cornerback Ike Taylor's hands and into those of Reggie Wayne for a 65-yard touchdown, the Steelers had not allowed a pass longer than 35 yards and only two longer than 30.

That they lead the NFL with 34 sacks no doubt has helped keep the long pass completions to a minimum, and they might need to crank it up Sunday against Rivers with the new guys in their secondary.

"Absolutely," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "I think our secondary is playing real well, but I think a little bit toward the end of Sunday's game we didn't get to Peyton as much as we should have. So yeah, we need to get after Philip."

It won't hurt that LaMarr Woodley and his 9.5 sacks are expected to return at left outside linebacker after he missed the Indianapolis game with a calf injury.

Rivers has been able to go deep often this season, and his 8.72 yards per attempt is the highest in the NFL.

"The standards don't change," Gay said of the new cornerbacks in the secondary. "Regardless who's in there, the standards stay the same. It's up to that person to keep the standards high."

Big Ben

will play

Ben Roethlisberger goes through practice yesterday and is expected to start Sunday vs. San Diego.